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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240671">Twin of the Fallen Star</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelenus/pseuds/Nelenus'>Nelenus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Almyra (Fire Emblem), Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Multi, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 09:01:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,845</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelenus/pseuds/Nelenus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>His name, Relic, and Crest all disappeared early on in Fódlan’s history. Few even know of the legends, and even fewer believe them. As far as anyone in Fódlan is concerned, the story of Riegan’s brother and the twin Relic to Failnaught are nothing more than a myth.</p><p>But as the Seiros scriptures say: “time reveals all things”. And the truth always finds a way to reassert itself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue: The Forgotten Elite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Crests of Seiros, the Four Saints, and the Ten Elites were not the only Crests in Fódlan. Nor were the Ten Elites the only ones among the allies of Nemesis, the King of Liberation. Other Crests, and even other Relics, once existed in Fódlan. Their wielders fought alongside Nemesis in the War of Heroes, but their names have since been forgotten, their Crests and Relics lost in the mists of time. Some, like Maurice, were deliberately struck from history, when his name and Crest became known as a curse. Others vanished from Fódlan entirely, with only the occasional legend remaining as proof they ever existed.</p><p>Such was the story of Theseus. Some accounts claimed he was the younger brother of the Elite Riegan, and that the two wielded twin Relics. However, few scholars ever embraced the theory, as these accounts directly contradicted other sources that claimed Riegan had no siblings. Furthermore, neither the Relic nor anyone with Theseus’ Crest were ever found. Thus, as the centuries passed, Theseus’ name eventually disappeared from Fódlan’s history books. He was a myth, nothing more.</p><p>Of course, there is never only one side to a story. Unbeknownst to the people of Fódlan, strange legends began to arise in the lands east of their borders. In Morfis and Almyra, stories were told of a man who claimed to have drunk the blood of the gods themselves, and had gained superhuman abilities from doing so. He was also said to have wielded a glowing red bow of terrifying power. And while his descendants inherited his powers, the bow was another story. For after Theseus died, the bow vanished.</p><p>Over time, many people tried searching for it, giving rise to more strange and disturbing legends surrounding the mysterious weapon. Some say the bow is cursed, and that only Theseus’ heirs are able to safely wield it. The details in the stories vary, but they all agree on one thing – any wielder the bow deems unworthy will always meet a terrible end.</p><p>To this day, no one knows the whereabouts of Theseus’ bow. And with his bloodline all but gone, many believe there is no one left who could wield it anyway…</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Riegan's New Heir</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Khalid sat back in the chair, forcing himself to relax. Breathe in, breathe out. Gaze lowered, but still watching the office door out of the corner of his eye, with the occasional glance toward the entrance as well. Two doors, on opposite sides of the room. And Khalid sat near the adjacent wall, in the perfect spot to keep an eye on them both. Only one other person sat in the room with him – the frail, white-haired nobleman in the chair immediately to Khalid’s left.</p><p>That made things a little easier, Khalid supposed. As he had found out mere days ago, this old man was none other than Duke Oswald von Riegan, leader of a faction in eastern Fódlan known as the Leicester Alliance.</p><p>He was also Khalid’s maternal grandfather.</p><p>Maman had not talked about him much, but what she did say was enough for Khalid to put together. He knew she was originally from Fódlan. That she was a former member of a noble house, and that the name of that house was called Riegan. And the maps he “borrowed” from the royal war room had showed him where House Riegan was located.  </p><p>It had been a difficult journey from there, but he did eventually make it. Now here Khalid sat, beside his grandfather. Safely within Fódlan’s borders, and with the Fódlan side of his family.</p><p>Well, for some measure of the word “safely”, anyway. Not everyone he had met since coming here had been kind or welcoming.</p><p>It was part of the reason he still could not relax, even while sitting quietly beside his grandfather. He still fidgeted, still played with the hem of his shirt, his hand never wandering far from the knife hidden under his belt.</p><p>“Claude.” Oswald turned, having taken notice of Khalid’s fidgeting. “Can’t you sit still?”</p><p>Khalid clasped his hands together in his lap.</p><p>“Sorry,” he said.</p><p>He glanced once at his grandfather, then focused his gaze downward at his hands. He turned his attention back to his breath. Breathe in. Breathe out.</p><p>This was going to take some getting used to. Apparently one consequence of starting a new life here in Fódlan was starting over with a new name as well. Unless Maman had talked to him (which Khalid doubted), Duke Oswald had no idea that “Claude” was merely a false name. In fact, he probably knew nothing at all of his grandson’s Almyran heritage. And if what Khalid had seen so far in Fódlan was any indication, it would be best to keep it that way. At least, for the time being.</p><p>One day, though, things would change. Eventually, the day would come when he would be able to tell his grandfather everything.</p><p>For now, he sat in a chair and waited.</p><p>How much longer were they supposed to wait, anyway?</p><p>His grandfather had said something about the Crest scholar needing to prepare his instruments, but Khalid understood little of the explanation. He had no idea what a Crest was, but judging by the way his grandfather talked about them, they were probably common knowledge in Fódlan. The only part that Khalid understood was that his grandfather believed he had one, and that today’s visit to this office was intended to test if he really did.</p><p>Khalid was brimming with questions, but he said nothing. Betraying his lack of knowledge of Fódlan was liable to betray his identity as well. So, despite being so full of curiosity he felt he might burst, he kept the questions to himself.</p><p>Another minute passed, and then he finally heard movement from beyond the office door. A single pair of footsteps approached, and then the door opened. At the threshold stood a middle-aged man in long gray and white robes. The Crest scholar, Khalid presumed.</p><p>“Duke Riegan, sir?” the man said. “Everything’s ready now.”</p><p>Oswald rose slowly to his feet. The scholar’s gaze drifted over to Khalid for a second, then back to the duke.</p><p>“I take it this is your grandson?” he asked. He barely waited for Oswald to nod in response before turning his attention to Khalid again. “What’s your name?”</p><p>Khalid stood up.</p><p>“My name’s Claude,” he said. “Er… Claude… von Riegan.”</p><p>“I see. This way then, Claude.”</p><p>Beckoning the boy after him, the scholar then led him and Oswald down the hall and into the office proper.</p><p>A tray of what looked like various medical instruments sat on the desk in the far corner. But it was the translucent circular panel next to the tray that had Khalid’s attention. There was something odd about it, and the strange symbols that lined its edge. As much as it might have looked like mere decoration, something told him this device served a specific function.</p><p>Something to do with Crests, he’d bet.</p><p>Before he could say anything, however, the scholar brought him to the desk, indicating that he sit in the chair beside it. Khalid sat.</p><p>“Roll up your sleeve,” the scholar said, picking up a lancet from the tray. “I need to take a small sample of your blood.”</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>Khalid frowned. He shot a sideways glance at his grandfather, who stood and watched from in front of the bookshelf by the door.</p><p>“You said this wouldn’t hurt,” Khalid said.</p><p>“It won’t hurt a bit,” the scholar tried to reassure him. “I only need a few drops. Now please… roll up your sleeve and rest your arm right here.”</p><p>There was a pause, but Khalid eventually relented. He rolled his sleeve up past the elbow and rested his arm on the desk. But as the scholar moved in with the lancet, Khalid’s eyes widened in alarm.</p><p>“You’re not going to clean my arm first?” he asked.</p><p>The scholar paused, brows furrowed as if genuinely confused by the question.</p><p>“Why would I need to?” he said. “I don’t see anything wrong with your arm.”</p><p>Khalid bit his lip. The scholar’s behavior was already raising more questions, but he decided against protesting any further. Asking too many questions now was bound to get him in trouble.</p><p>Taking the boy’s silence as permission to proceed, the scholar went ahead and stuck the lancet into Khalid’s arm to take his blood sample. It was another tense couple of seconds while the scholar collected the blood into a dropper, then removed the lancet, placing it back on the tray. He wiped it once with a cloth, but otherwise did not clean it.</p><p>Next, he took a strip of bandaging from the tray and wrapped the area where he had pricked Khalid’s arm, stopping the bleeding. Khalid pulled his sleeve back down.</p><p>“Is that it?” Khalid asked. “That’s all we had to do for the test?”</p><p>“Not quite,” the scholar replied.</p><p>He took the dropper with Khalid’s blood sample, slowly and carefully dripping it onto the tiny plate that sat atop the strange panel. Almost immediately, the panel began to glow blue. Khalid sat up straight in the chair, staring at the mysterious light in wide-eyed fascination.</p><p>The scholar stroked his chin thoughtfully. Khalid glanced briefly at him.</p><p>“What does the light mean?” he asked.</p><p>One of the symbols on the edge of the panel started glowing as well, but with a gentle white light against the brilliant blue. Upon looking closely at it, Khalid realized this one looked familiar. He had seen this crescent shape several times before, on both the Leicester coat of arms, and the regalia adorning his grandfather’s surcoat.</p><p>“It means you bear a Crest,” the scholar said, barely containing his excitement.</p><p>That got Oswald’s attention. He left his spot by the bookshelf and walked up to the desk, peering down at the panel. His eyes lit up – even more so than the scholar’s – and he covered his mouth.</p><p>“It’s true…” he said. “Claude… You bear the Crest of Riegan…”</p><p>Oswald leaned forward, supporting himself on the edge of the desk with one hand while he kept his mouth covered with the other. His shoulders trembled slightly, though he did not seem to be weak or sick. If anything, he looked to be on the verge of crying tears of joy.</p><p>Khalid watched his grandfather with equal parts fascination and confusion. That he bore the family’s Crest (in his blood? that he still did not understand) was clearly a significant matter to him. But even if he did not fully understand it yet, Khalid counted it as a good thing nonetheless. If they held Crests in such high value here, then his own Crest would doubtless be a benefit to him. And perhaps in more ways than one…</p><p> </p><p>It was a short and quiet ride back to the Riegan estate. Upon returning to the mansion, Duke Oswald immediately retreated to his office, saying something about “doing the necessary paperwork”. Meanwhile, he had the servants escort Khalid to his bedroom suite on the upper floor.</p><p>Khalid spent a minute taking in the room. A tapestry of a hunting scene hung from the wall opposite the bed. The bed itself was an enormous four-poster, covered in fine silk bedsheets. On the adjacent wall, embroidered curtains graced the window. And with a vanity, desk and chairs made of hand-carved wood, and an imported Morfisian rug covering almost half the floor as well, the room was certainly just as luxurious as the rest of the estate.</p><p>It was impressive, to be sure. However, given what had transpired in the Crest scholar’s office earlier, Khalid simply had other things on his mind than the luxury of his newfound home.</p><p>The servant boy pulled open the door, about to leave.</p><p>“Hold on a minute,” Khalid said. “Does this place have a library?”</p><p>“Yes, sir, it does,” the servant replied. He paused, then added, “Would you like me to show you?”</p><p>Khalid’s face lit up.</p><p>“Of course!”</p><p>“Very well. It’s this way, sir; just follow me…”</p><p>Khalid followed him. Less than a minute later, they arrived, and Khalid found himself staring into a room crammed with shelves, stacked floor to ceiling with books. However, it was only a single room, and not an especially large one at that. It had nothing on the royal archives back home, but Khalid’s eyes lit up with excitement nonetheless. At the very least, this was an excellent starting point. He thanked the servant, who promptly bowed and left, seeing to whatever task he had next.</p><p>Meanwhile, Khalid went straight to exploring the shelves. He didn’t care that the hour was getting late; he had the library to himself, and all these books to read. His grandfather surely would not mind. Besides, the duke was probably still busy with the “paperwork”, whatever <em>that</em> was for.</p><p>Putting that out of his mind, Khalid began his search in earnest. After several minutes of perusing the shelves, he finally found one that looked promising. He pulled the book from the shelf, examining the cover.</p><p>It was a treatise on Crests. And the cover bore the same set of symbols Khalid had seen on the magical panel on the Crest scholar’s desk.</p><p>“These must be the other Crests…” he muttered to himself.</p><p>He opened the book and began to read.</p><p>Crest of Seiros. Crest of Blaiddyd. On and on the list went, many of the names unfamiliar to him. He was vaguely aware of names like the Church of Seiros, the royal house of Blaiddyd which governed the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and several other names that he recognized as Leicester nobility, including his own family’s Riegan. But the others – Lamine, Charon, Gautier, Fraldarius, Dominic, Cichol, Cethleann, Indech – he had not heard of.</p><p>He spent the next two hours on this book alone. Each chapter was dedicated to a different Crest, and with a wealth of information on that Crest contained therein. After reading the first few chapters, Khalid decided to skip ahead to the chapter dedicated to his own Crest.</p><p>Just like the others, the chapter opened with a brief description of the Crest’s namesake – in this case, the Elite Riegan. The book described him as a member of the Ten Elites, a group Khalid had seen mentioned many times already in the text but had yet to see explained in full detail. Then again, this book was dedicated to their Crests, not the Elites themselves. Khalid kept reading; there would be time to research these “Ten Elites” later.</p><p>He read this chapter slower than the others, paying extra attention to as many of the details as he could. He even read parts of it aloud to himself as he went.</p><p>“…wielder of the legendary bow Failnaught…”</p><p>“…a Crest that can heal its wielder, by stealing life from another…”</p><p>Khalid paused. He reread the passage, making sure he read that right.</p><p>“It is one of the only known Crests to have this power,” he kept reading. “It grants its bearers the rare ability to steal the life force from others and use it to strengthen and heal themselves. It is most often done through wounding the target in combat, though the Crest’s power has been known to manifest in other ways…”</p><p>He paused again, looking up to stare blankly at the wall for a minute.</p><p>“Have I…?”</p><p>This suddenly explained a lot. But at the same time, it was more than a little unsettling. The more he thought on it, the more heavily the realization weighed on him.</p><p>His Crest had probably saved his life, more than once, without him even knowing about it.</p><p>He continued to stare at the wall while the thought simmered in his mind. Tempting as it was to give up for the night, Khalid finally shook his head, pulling himself together. He still had some more time to read.</p><p>Or so he thought, until he turned the page to go to the next chapter.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>The next page was missing. And so were several more pages after that. All that remained were the thin slivers of paper that were still attached to the binding. From what he could tell, the entire next chapter following Riegan had been torn out. The next page that <em>hadn’t </em>been torn out was the opening section of the chapter on Gloucester. Whatever had existed in between the two was gone.</p><p>“That’s… strange…”</p><p>Footsteps approached from the hall outside the library. Heart suddenly racing, Khalid dropped the book, his hand flying to the knife on his belt. He pivoted on his feet to face the door.</p><p>“Claude?” Oswald appeared at the threshold. “What are you doing up at this hour?”</p><p>Khalid relaxed. It was just his grandfather.</p><p>“I was just reading,” he said quickly. “And I lost track of time…”</p><p>Oswald smiled and nodded knowingly. “Ah, I know the feeling,” he said. “But it’s getting late; I would suggest you turn in for the night. The library will still be here tomorrow, after all.”</p><p>With that, he turned and left. Khalid sighed and looked down at the book, still lying open on the floor where he dropped it. He picked it up, tucking it under his arm.</p><p>His grandfather was right. The library would still be here whenever he wanted to come back to read. But there was also nothing stopping him from taking books back to his room.</p><p>He would finish reading it there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Roundtable Conference</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Having stayed up most of the night reading, Khalid nearly overslept. The sun was already halfway over the horizon, its rays of early morning light shining through the curtains by the time Khalid got out of bed. He pushed the Crestology book aside, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and rose to his feet.</p><p>He changed clothes slowly and silently. When he finished, he paused for a moment, standing in the center of the rug, letting the sunlight warm his face. He let a full minute go by before finally taking a seat on the rug.</p><p>While Khalid began his morning meditation, the rest of the Riegan household began to wake up. Muffled footsteps headed up and down hallways, occasionally accompanied by people’s voices. For the most part, Khalid ignored them. Until one set of footfalls abruptly stopped outside his room. A second later, someone knocked on the door.</p><p>“Master Claude!” It was the same servant from yesterday. “Breakfast is served.”</p><p>Khalid opened his eyes, glaring at the door. Tempting as it was to not answer, he knew better. That servant would not leave until either he opened the door or gave a response.</p><p>“Just a sec!” he said.</p><p>Reluctantly, Khalid stood up. He was already dressed; all he had to do was walk over and open the door. Still, he paused. He reached up and twirled some of his hair in his fingers, remembering that he had not done his braid yet.</p><p>No one seemed to have noticed it yesterday. At the very least, no one had said anything that he could hear. Khalid decided to take this as a good thing. He did not need to get rid of it after all.</p><p>He brought both hands up and began braiding – the servant could wait another minute.</p><p>That minute went by in silence while Khalid finished doing his braid, then quietly made his way to the door. The servant had been patiently waiting a few paces behind the threshold. When Khalid opened the door, the servant motioned for him to follow, and then led him downstairs to the dining room.</p><p>Khalid had hoped breakfast would be a quiet affair, and that he could talk to his grandfather later, when there were fewer people around. He had a lot of questions for him, but here at the breakfast table, with so many of the household servants and the duke’s retainers milling about, was not the best place to ask them. Too many ears listening in.</p><p>Unfortunately, his grandfather seemed to have other ideas.</p><p>“Good morning, Claude,” Oswald said, after swallowing a bite of his food. “How are you settling in so far?”</p><p>Khalid had just barely sat down at the table. He stared blankly at his grandfather for a second, trying to think of an answer. To stall for time, he took a few bites of food. When he finished, he nodded approvingly.</p><p>“It’s nice,” he said. “A bit… different than where I grew up, but that’s alright…”</p><p>‘Different’ was an understatement. Sure, Fódlan was still a new place to him, but <em>everything </em>seemed strange, from the food, to the medicine, to these mysterious Crests that he had never heard of before.</p><p>He would have to adjust quickly.</p><p>“That’s good.” Oswald smiled. “And, since the next roundtable conference isn’t for another week, you’ll have the next few days to yourself anyway, so it shouldn’t --”</p><p>Khalid stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth.</p><p>“Roundtable conference?” he repeated. Setting his fork down, he quickly added, “Are you sure we both have to go?”</p><p>“Yes,” Oswald said bluntly. He let out a chuckle that nearly turned into a cough. “It’s all just formalities, though. Don’t worry, boy. You won’t be doing much. After all, I don’t expect my new heir to start handling Alliance politics right out of the gate!”</p><p>“Uh-huh…”</p><p>Khalid lowered his gaze to his plate and continued eating. But Oswald was not about to drop the subject yet.</p><p>“I take it you’ve never been to an Alliance roundtable conference before,” he said. He coughed into his sleeve. “Not surprising, now that I think about it…”</p><p>Oswald paused to take a sip from his glass. Khalid remained silent as he finished his breakfast.</p><p>So, his grandfather did not expect him to already be familiar with Alliance politics. Good.</p><p>“Well, you’ll see what it’s like soon enough,” Oswald said with a heavy sigh.</p><p>The hint of exasperation in his grandfather’s tone piqued Khalid’s interest. He flashed him a quick glance, catching the annoyance in his grandfather’s expression as well. These ‘roundtable conferences’ had to be quite the headache, then, if the sovereign duke himself got worked up just thinking about it.</p><p>It got Khalid to thinking. Wondering just how chaotic Alliance affairs could really be. If it was anything like what he had already experienced back home.</p><p>He set his fork down and rested his hand on his thigh. Near the dagger, still hidden under his belt.</p><p>As long as he stayed on his guard, he should be fine.</p><p>Meanwhile, Oswald finished the last of his breakfast and took one last swig from his glass. Clearing his throat, he then rose from his seat. Flanked by his retainers, the duke then left the dining room. Khalid remained seated for a minute longer while he finished his own food, but then promptly rose and went out the same direction his grandfather had gone.</p><p>He found him in the foyer, still accompanied by a pair of retainers. However, as Khalid began to approach them, the front doors swung open, and he stopped mid-stride at the sight of the person that walked in.</p><p>“Ah! Judith!” Oswald said. “Good to see you again.”</p><p>Lady Judith was another Alliance noble, one whom Khalid was already familiar with. In fact, she had already earned a small degree of his trust, given how she had helped him prior to getting here. He relaxed, choosing to linger for a bit longer. Whether it was for Alliance business, or something to do with Khalid specifically, it made sense for her to be here. Out of curiosity, he drew closer.</p><p>“Hah! You make it sound like it’s been a long time since the last time I saw you!” Judith said as she stepped across the threshold. “Come on, Oswald. It really hasn’t been that long. Now where – oh, there he is.”</p><p>Khalid took a couple of hesitant steps forward. He could tell this was about him, so there was little point in hiding at the other end of the room. While he approached, Judith moved further from the threshold. She waved Khalid over, even though he was already heading that way. Meanwhile, another, much heavier, set of footfalls approached the door from outside. Right as Khalid reached his grandfather’s side, he froze.</p><p>It turned out Judith had brought someone with her. Someone whom Khalid also recognized. And he had to bite his lip to not blurt out the man’s name in his shock.</p><p>For it was none other than General Nader himself that stepped across the threshold.</p><p>“You must be Duke Riegan!” Nader said, greeting Oswald with an enthusiastic bow. “A pleasure to meet you.”</p><p>Oswald’s retainers exchanged glances, but Nader ignored them. Instead, his gaze shifted in Khalid’s direction, lighting up his cheery expression further.</p><p>“There you are, kiddo!” he said.</p><p>Oswald, meanwhile, looked sideways at Judith, his furrowed brow silently demanding an explanation. Khalid glanced between Judith and Nader, forcing his expression to remain neutral while he tried to puzzle it out himself.</p><p>The traveling cloak and poorly fitted surcoat Nader was wearing showed he had at least put some effort into disguising himself. Still, his presence here was cause for concern. Nader the Undefeated was undoubtedly infamous in Fódlan for his battle exploits at the border. Something terrible must have happened for him to risk coming here like this.</p><p>Khalid tensed up. It was possible Nader had been sent to retrieve him.</p><p>“This is Nardel,” Judith said, breaking the awkward silence. “He’s your little Claude’s retainer.”</p><p>“I see,” Oswald said. “In that case, welcome to House Riegan, Nardel.”</p><p>He took a step back and gestured for Nader to make his way into the foyer proper. As Nader moved, so did everyone else.</p><p>“I’ll be happy to show you around,” Oswald said, halting the group in the center of the mansion’s spacious foyer.</p><p>“Actually…” Khalid interrupted. “I’d like to show him around myself, if that’s all right. He is my retainer and all… plus, you and Judith can tend to whatever other business…”</p><p>“It’s ‘Lady’ Judith,” Oswald gently corrected. “But yes, that’s fine.”</p><p>Waving Judith after him, Oswald then headed for the stairs. Judith and the retainers followed him up, while Khalid and Nader stayed in the foyer for another minute.</p><p>Khalid’s eyes quickly darted around the room, checking to make sure they were alone. Turning his attention to Nader, he then narrowed his eyes, fixing him with a glare.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” he hissed, his voice barely audible despite the short distance between them.</p><p>Nader frowned. “What’s the problem, kiddo? I thought you wanted my help?”</p><p>Khalid paused. His expression softened.</p><p>So, Nader was not here to retrieve him; he was here to help him. He had already done plenty just by getting Khalid across the border mountains undetected, for which Khalid was grateful. But, given Nader’s position, he had expected him to return to Almyra and that would have been the end of it. To see him here in Derdriu was quite a surprise, though not an unwelcome one. If Nader was offering his help again, Khalid would be a fool to refuse.</p><p>“I never said I didn’t want help; I’m just wondering why you came all the way here,” Khalid said. “Something didn’t happen back home, did it?”</p><p>“Nah, not that I know of.” Nader shook his head. “Your brothers sure are having a time, though.”</p><p>Khalid’s eyebrows shot up. “What does <em>that </em>mean?”</p><p>Nader chuckled. “Eh, it’s not what you think. Some weird rumors began flying around right after you left, and well, your brothers are fighting over whether to believe them or not.”</p><p>“Rumors?”</p><p>“Well, yeah! You vanished without a word and haven’t been seen since! Of course people were gonna talk!”</p><p>“…Ah.”</p><p>Now that Nader put it that way, he had some guesses as to what the rumors were. And he understood why his brothers would be skeptical. None of them would believe their little brother was dead unless they had proof. Run away, perhaps, but not dead. Then again, that made little difference. As far as his brothers knew, Khalid was out of the picture either way.</p><p>Crossing his arms, he stared at the ground, suddenly looking deep in thought.</p><p>“Anyway…” Nader glanced around the foyer. “Weren’t you going to show me around, er… Master Claude?”</p><p>“…Yeah,” Khalid said absently. He waved Nader after him. “This way…”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Judith and Nader’s visits were brief. From what Khalid could find out, Judith had only come to introduce “Nardel” to the rest of House Riegan and to discuss the upcoming roundtable conference with Oswald. She returned to Daphnel territory soon after their meeting. Nader stayed for a few days, choosing to remain at the estate when the time came for Khalid and his grandfather to attend the roundtable conference.</p><p>Khalid doubted he would still be there by the time he returned, however. Though they agreed that Nader would pose as his retainer, the general could not remain in Fódlan for too long. Most likely, he could only make brief visits, and only as frequently as his duties in Almyra would allow.</p><p>That was better than nothing, Khalid supposed.</p><p>In the meantime, he still had this conference to worry about.</p><p>He had a few changes of clothes in the wardrobe, but little idea of which among them would be considered appropriate for the occasion. Then again, it was already apparent – at least to Judith and his grandfather – that “Claude” had not had a noble upbringing. He could hardly be expected to be as immaculately dressed as the other lords there. Therefore, it did not matter what he wore.</p><p>Khalid pulled one of the coats from the wardrobe and threw it on. And before the servant could come up to fetch him, he headed downstairs to meet up with his grandfather. Together, the two went outside to the carriage.</p><p>From there, it was a short ride from the Riegan estate into Derdriu proper. They rode to the center of town, stopping in front of a magnificent marble building that Khalid presumed was the location for the conference. His guess turned out to be correct, as his grandfather gingerly stepped out of the carriage and motioned for Khalid to follow him inside.</p><p>The rest of the Alliance lords were already waiting for them in the reception hall. Their chatter ceased the moment Khalid and his grandfather walked across the threshold. There was a slight echo as the doors were pulled shut, and then the room fell silent.</p><p>Khalid scanned the hall, glancing at each noble in turn. He felt every eye on him, watching him. Scrutinizing him.</p><p>It was a painfully familiar feeling, being under such piercing gazes. But he held his ground. He stood side by side with his grandfather, waiting on him to make the next move.</p><p>“Morning!” Oswald greeted the other lords with a nod, taking a few more steps into the room.</p><p>The noble standing closest to them – a tall, slender man with silver-streaked lavender hair – kept glancing back and forth between Khalid and Oswald. His eyes were slightly narrowed, filled with suspicion and doubt.</p><p>“Your Grace,” the noble said, looking at Oswald. He gestured to Khalid. “Might I inquire as to who this is, and why you have brought him here?”</p><p>Out of a cluster of nobles several feet further away, Judith suddenly emerged. However, Oswald spoke up first.</p><p>“I believe I sent the announcement to every Alliance territory already,” he said. “This is my grandson, Claude. He has just been recognized as the legitimate heir to House Riegan, hence why he’s here at the conference today.”</p><p>“…I see.” The noble put a hand over his mouth, covering a fake cough. “For a moment, I thought you had brought in a local farm boy. My mistake.”</p><p>Judith snorted.</p><p>“Perhaps you should see a physician then, Franz,” she said. “It sounds like your vision is starting to weaken with age.”</p><p>“That’s enough, Judith,” Oswald said, cutting off Franz’s response before he could open his mouth. “No need to start fights before the conference has even started.”</p><p>Some of the other nobles exchanged looks. Scattered whispers spread through the reception hall. Meanwhile, their eyes kept wandering back to Khalid. He could tell what those mutterings were, even without hearing the exact words.</p><p>A muscle jerked in his cheek. He knew he should have expected this reaction, but still…</p><p>“Claude,” Oswald continued, turning Khalid’s attention back to him. “I don’t suppose you’ve met everyone yet. This is Count Gloucester.”</p><p>Khalid shifted his eyes back over to the count. He nodded politely, but said nothing.</p><p>“Pleasure,” Gloucester said, making little effort to hide the sarcasm. With that, however, he turned and walked off, seeking conversation with one of the other lords.</p><p>After Gloucester left, Oswald took Khalid around the reception hall, introducing him to the rest of the Alliance lords. He had learned some of the names beforehand, but now he could finally put faces to them.</p><p>Margrave Edmund was a brown-haired, clean-shaven man with sharp eyes that gave the impression that he would argue with anyone over anything. And he would win, too. He looked younger than most of the other lords here; perhaps he had had to fight tooth and nail in order to be taken seriously.</p><p>Count Ordelia was only slightly taller than Khalid himself, and his prematurely aged face bore a permanently wearied expression. As if there was some hidden pain behind his smile and polite mannerisms. What kind of pain that was, however, Khalid had no guesses.</p><p>Duke Goneril was a broad-shouldered, strongly built man, with some decorative armor accenting his outfit further hinting at a military background. Only a small amount of his original pink remained in his graying hair and beard. He walked with a slight limp – doubtless the result of a battle injury from years past.</p><p>Along with Khalid’s grandfather, these four comprised the Five Great Lords. After them came the minor lords. And nearly an hour’s worth of introductions and pleasantries. It was a lot of names and faces to remember, Khalid figured it was manageable. He needed to do this – he needed to work with everyone here if he was to realize his dream.</p><p>With introductions out of the way, everyone headed upstairs, into a large ballroom where a circular table surrounded by chairs took up most of the space. Everyone took their places at the table, ready to begin the conference.</p><p>Khalid took the seat next to his grandfather. As promised, he did little more than listen in.</p><p>The debates dragged on for hours. Khalid had expected Edmund to be the argumentative one, but it was Gloucester who raised objection after objection, especially whenever Oswald spoke.</p><p>“As I have said before, it would take months to raise the funds necessary for--”</p><p>“No one asked you to pay the entire expense yourself, Count,” Edmund said, cutting off Gloucester’s latest objection. “But the least you could do is commit at least a couple of battalions to help protect the eastern flank…”</p><p>“And where are your own troops?” Gloucester shot back. “Your own territory borders a part of Fódlan’s Throat; can’t you spare soldiers to guard your own lands?”</p><p>“Because the only pass in those mountains wide enough for an army to cross is in <em>my </em>territory,” Duke Goneril cut in. “And it would behoove the lot of you to get over yourselves and resolve this quickly. Holst just received a missive from the Locket on the day I left. It’s possible he’s fighting off another Almyran attack as we speak.”</p><p>Khalid looked over at Duke Goneril, eyebrows raised with curiosity.</p><p>“Another attack?” Khalid repeated.</p><p>“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Oswald asked, not allowing Goneril time to answer Khalid’s question.</p><p>“Did I not?” Goneril leaned forward, resting his fists on the table. “I told you before we even started that Holst was unable to come because he had been called up to the Locket again.”</p><p>“Again?” Edmund asked.</p><p>Goneril sighed. “Yes, <em>again,</em>” he said. “We had received reports of several Almyran units being spotted near the Locket, so Holst went to investigate. Nothing came of it then, but according to the messenger, the Almyrans have not only reappeared, but in greater numbers this time. So while you waste time squabbling, we are facing a possible invasion!”</p><p>Keeping them hidden under the table, Khalid balled his hands into fists. An Almyran invasion… had Nader lied to him after all?</p><p>No. This made no sense. Khalid knew those attacks on Fódlan’s Locket were not serious attempts to invade. But then, he didn’t think Duke Goneril to be the type to overreact. If he was genuinely concerned that Almyra was launching an invasion…</p><p>“And hasn’t Lord Holst beaten back their feeble invasion attempts many times before?” Oswald asked. “One would think that their general would learn—”</p><p>Goneril shook his head. “Nader isn’t the one leading them this time. In fact, the scouts claimed it’s one of the princes that’s in command of the enemy force.”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>Khalid covered his mouth, but it was too late; the others had already heard the outburst. All eyes turned in his direction. It got uncomfortably quiet.</p><p>Lowering his hand, Khalid quickly gathered his composure.</p><p>“I mean, should we be worried?” he said. “Since when did any of the princes personally lead attacks on the border?”</p><p>It was a sincere question. None of his brothers had ever led any such attacks that Khalid was aware of, so why had they decided to start now?</p><p>Only a few possible answers came to mind. And he did not like any of them.</p><p>“Does it matter?” Judith suddenly cut in. “Holst has already bested their most famous general. Several times, in fact. One of their princes should be no problem at all.”</p><p>Khalid had to bite down on his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything. These nobles were playing a dangerous game, underestimating Almyra’s strength. This Lord Holst person was able to best Nader because Nader was never seriously trying to take the Locket. If it really was one of Khalid’s brothers leading the attack this time, there was no telling what would happen.</p><p>Part of him wanted to believe Judith was right.</p><p>Another part of him feared he had just made a grave mistake.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As it turned out, the Almyran forces had indeed launched an attack on Fódlan’s Locket. But after two days of fierce fighting, they ultimately had to retreat, battered and exhausted. Though they had failed to capture the fort, they had still inflicted heavy losses to the Goneril troops, destroyed some of the defensive artillery and even left scarring on the walls. Many of the warriors felt that was plenty to show for their effort, despite their defeat.</p><p>Their commander, however, did not share the sentiment.</p><p>Having retreated to the base of the mountains, the Almyran force set up camp for the night. As per tradition, everyone feasted and danced for most of the night in celebration of the battle, and to honor those who fell. Only the commander did not partake in the festivities.</p><p>He sat on the grass a couple dozen paces away from the bonfire, watching his troops dance while he himself drank slowly out of a waterskin. So far, only one of the officers had dared to ask that he join them, to which he firmly refused. No one else had bothered him since.</p><p>Until he heard footsteps approaching from behind the tent. Dropping the waterskin, he instantly jumped to his feet and drew his shamshir.</p><p>“Gods, Ishak, calm down. It’s just me.”</p><p>Ishak frowned as he recognized the voice.</p><p>The light from the bonfire could only dimly illuminate his face from this distance; still, Ishak recognized him easily enough. If not from his voice alone, then from the long braid that hung just over his left shoulder.</p><p>“Seyed?” Ishak lowered his shamshir. “What the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>“Hey, that was my question,” Seyed said. “What do you think you’re doing all the way out here? You weren’t trying to capture that fort, were you?”</p><p>“What’s that to you?”</p><p>“Just answer the question.”</p><p>A tense silence followed while Ishak glared at his elder brother, shamshir still in hand. Eventually, he relented, sheathing his weapon. He let out an annoyed sigh.</p><p>“I was,” he said. “But why does that matter to you?”</p><p>Seyed shrugged. “It doesn’t,” he replied. “I just thought your timing was odd, is all.”</p><p>Another pause. Seyed looked down, lost in thought.</p><p>“This wouldn’t actually have anything to do with Khalid, would it?” he added.</p><p>Ishak scoffed, looking offended. “No, why would it? Wherever he went, he’s probably dead by now anyway…”</p><p>“So the rumors say,” Seyed said with a nod. “But you know better than to believe gossip.”</p><p>“Enough,” Ishak growled. “That doesn’t matter to me. That’s not why I’m here. Now leave me alone.”</p><p>“If you insist.”</p><p>Seyed turned to go. He headed into the woods at the edge of the encampment, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared. Meanwhile, Ishak sat back down, grumbling under his breath.</p>
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